Women... can’t live without ‘em

Making up more than half of the population in the United States, women are now considered by many to be the driving force behind the nation. Outnumbering men by almost eight million, female influence on the American way of life is no longer in dispute, but the rest of the world still has some catching up to do. March is National Women’s History Month, and although its roots date back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York factories staged a protest over working conditions, it wasn’t until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History week, which was eventually expanded to a month by presidential proclamation in 1987 (www.census.gov).

The numbers alone are pretty impressive: women dominate in the work force, representing close to 72 million, and there are currently fewer men working in management, professional and related occupations (www.bls.gov/home). Millions of women own businesses and the revenue from women-owned companies exceeded one trillion dollars in 2007 (www.factfinder2.census.gov). Little wonder then, that I found myself immersed in the world of women, once inside the doors of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (www.artsalliancesite.org) last weekend while out and about with the pooch.

The gallery’s newest exhibit titled “Aph•O•Risms: Exploring the Economy of Form” is just that, but (I hate to admit) I was unfamiliar with the term. Instead of my usual pre-show research, I decided to head out swathed in ignorance and discover what I might learn along the way.

Before perusing the artwork, I stopped to greet curator Rocky Pinciotti, who pointed me in the direction of the program, where he had thoughtfully expressed some words on the subject. “Aphoristic creations are marked by the use of few words to convey much meaning or information,” it read. “This exhibition features 10 artists working in a variety of mediums that exemplify this principle, either overtly or subconsciously.”

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Jonathan Fox currently lives in Sullivan County. Having written for film and television, he now concentrates his efforts on novels, plays and assorted periodicals, along with his weekly "Humble Opinion" on life in the Catskills.